Cao Pi would not have been the first emperor of Wei if he didn't know how to handle doubt. He smiles so very slightly; he really meant it that he didn't want to go over what-might-have beens but if someone asks...
"Things might have not been so dire if the spirits had waited until everyone had done so. I personally had my cup to my lips when everyone next to me slumped over. Would you condemn a man who was but seconds away from eating? What if such a man was used to watching others be poisoned at dinner by a political rival? Can you, perhaps, forgive that man for deciding not to drink?"
He shakes his head, then, doing his best not to pace or make a fuss. "What happened cannot be undone. We can second-guess ourselves after the fact all we want, but in the light of information provided by both Commander Rosinante and Master Riku, it still seems in our best interests to protect one another and prevent further death. That is the real matter, here, not whether or not anyone should have eaten at a feast."
no subject
"Things might have not been so dire if the spirits had waited until everyone had done so. I personally had my cup to my lips when everyone next to me slumped over. Would you condemn a man who was but seconds away from eating? What if such a man was used to watching others be poisoned at dinner by a political rival? Can you, perhaps, forgive that man for deciding not to drink?"
He shakes his head, then, doing his best not to pace or make a fuss. "What happened cannot be undone. We can second-guess ourselves after the fact all we want, but in the light of information provided by both Commander Rosinante and Master Riku, it still seems in our best interests to protect one another and prevent further death. That is the real matter, here, not whether or not anyone should have eaten at a feast."